One of the most consolidated tools in direct marketing is the use of coupons. A problem with conventional paper coupons is that they are cumbersome, as well as a burden for consumers. A consumer has to find the coupons, collect the coupons and carry the coupons virtually at all times. At times, collecting the coupons may involve cutting them out of printed media, which can be inconvenient when a pair of scissors is not readily available. Further, coupons are generally of different shape, size, consistency, and have different expiration dates. A coupon that expires inside a wallet is of little or no value to consumers and retailers. Thus, a solution is needed for retaining the value of coupons to consumers (e.g., savings) and to retailers (e.g., generating buyers' traffic) while doing away with the clutter in the wallet.
U.S. Publication No. 20060194569 by Hsueh describes a process for delivering electronic coupons over a wireless network to a portable device. Based on a profile provided by a user, the process selects and sends coupons to the user via a data connection. Thus, the user has no control over which coupons are delivered to their devices.
U.S. Publication No. 20060190331 by Tollinger et al. describes a method for delivering advertising items to a client at a portable device. A user can use a web interface to select and download coupons over a network, and then perform coupon management locally. However, it is necessary for a user to have network connectivity when acquiring coupons. Additionally, a user has to manually locate a coupon at redemption time.
U.S. Publication No. 20030233276 by Pearlman et al. describes a technique that distributes and administers promotional offers by loading electronic coupons into a portable electronic device with a display. The technique uses barcodes to store tracking data, and relies on network connectivity to download coupons and to transmit user profile information. A retailer can scan a coupon on the display of the portable electronic device.
U.S. Publication No. 20020062251 by Anandan et al. describes a method for communicating with consumers using wireless technologies. The method facilitates the tracking of consumer movements within retail locations, collects responses by consumers regarding their experiences in these locations, and distributes location-specific marketing or promotional messages through the use of location-tracking technology and portable electronic communication devices. The method focuses on location-based services and assumes new and expensive infrastructure.
Existing techniques, as discussed above, generally rely on data connectivity for coupon acquisition. Some of the existing techniques may compromise consumers' privacy information. Further, some of the existing techniques are expensive to deploy and/or deviate from consumers' entrenched habit of browsing, selecting and collecting coupons printed on a piece of paper. Thus, there is a need to improve existing techniques for coupon acquisition, management and redemption.